Ni no Kuni does improve but you have to play a fair while to unlock the group commands which finally allow you to direct AI controlled characters to attack or defend via a press of a face button rather than delving into menus in the middle of a battle.

At that point battles become a lot more strategic. There are various strategies you can use with familiars also but discovering them by yourself could take you a while. It's a curious mixture really, sometimes the handholding is extreme.

Mr. Drippy won't let you solve certain puzzles by yourself at all, at other times you'll be left in dark entirely, I had to work some things out with a pen and paper which is pretty uncommon these days, and you'll be spending time closely studying the Wizards guide, especially if you want to clear some of the side quests.